"My son has changed my life more than the Ballon d'Or awards have." Lionel Messi said that back in 2013, and more than a decade later, it's still the line that best explains what actually drives the man.
At 38, Messi is at the 2026 World Cup with Argentina — and in the stands for every match sit Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro, all in number 10 jerseys. Wife Antonela Roccuzzo posted the pictures in June. The whole family, shirt-matched, watching their dad do what he's always done.
Thiago is already on the pitch
The eldest, Thiago, was born November 2, 2012 — announced by Messi on Facebook with the words "Today I am the happiest man in the world." He's now 13, and already enrolled in Inter Miami's under-12 academy, joining the setup for the 2023-24 youth season. He wouldn't be the first son of a club legend to come through there — Romeo Beckham had a spell with Inter Miami II — but the weight of expectation on Thiago is a different thing entirely.
He's already got his own ambitions mapped out. In 2024, he told Mundo Deportivo he wants to play alongside FC Barcelona's Lamine Yamal someday. Not a bad target to have at 13.
Mateo, born September 11, 2015, is the family wildcard. Messi described him in 2019 as "very special" and said "he doesn't like to lose anything" — adding, pointedly, that Mateo reminds him of himself as a child. Whether that translates to a football career remains an open question, but the competitive streak is clearly already there.
Three kids, one very deliberate father
Ciro, the youngest, arrived March 10, 2018 — completing what Messi himself called the "hat trick" that fundamentally shifted how he sees the world. All three names and birthdates are tattooed on his calf. When he's on the pitch, the ink is visible. It's not a PR decision. It's just there.
In a 2025 interview with Zane Lowe, Messi was unusually direct about how he operates at home: "I discipline the children, I put limits, play and share with them, with my wife and I live a very normal life as well." For someone who cannot walk through an airport unrecognised in any country on earth, the commitment to that normality is deliberate — almost stubborn.
- Thiago Messi Roccuzzo — Born November 2, 2012. Currently playing in Inter Miami's youth academy.
- Mateo Messi Roccuzzo — Born September 11, 2015. Known as the playful, fiercely competitive one.
- Ciro Messi Roccuzzo — Born March 10, 2018. The youngest, with all three boys' names tattooed on Messi's calf.
The 2026 World Cup may be Messi's last. His sons are old enough now to understand what they're watching. Thiago, especially, is starting to learn from the inside what it actually takes.
